Fastener



y 1940- F. E. DE- L'ONG 2,206,945 FASTENER Filed Dec. 16, 1938 WITNESSES: l N V EN TOR:

BY franirZiDeLony,

A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 9, 1940 UNITED STATES FASTENER Frank E. De Long, Washingtonville, Pa.; First National Bank, Danville, Pa.,

executor of Frank E. De Long, deceased Application December 16, 1938, Serial No. 246,010

4 Claims.

This invention relates to fasteners useful in securing package wrappings, in attaching labels or tags to articles of various kinds, in securing together sheets of paper or the like, etc.; and it has reference more particularly to a fastener which combines functions of a pin and a clip.

My invention is directed toward the provision of a fastener of the kind referred to which lends itself to ready and economic manufacture in quantity from a single length of wire; which is devoid of any projection or projections such as would prevent passage of the pin shank to the full extent into the material to be secured or to subsequently prevent its withdrawal, or would be likely to catch the material or other objects and tear or otherwise injure them; and which, moreover, is immune against the possibility of easy accidental displacement in use.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawing, wherein Fig. I shows the front view of a fastener conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a side elevation of the fastener as viewed from the left of Fig. I.

Fig. III is a vertical sectional view taken at indicated by the arrows III-III in Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a horizontal section taken as indicated by the arrows IVIV in Fig. I; and

Fig. V is a perspective view exemplifying one of the many uses to which the fastener may be put in practice.

As herein illustrated, my improved fastener is characterized by having a pointed pin shank l 35 and a down-turned fiat open head 2 which overlaps said shank, the whole being fashioned from a single length of wire, which, although shown as being round, may be of square or of polygonal cross section. The head 2 is in the present in- 40 stance substantially circular configuration with the component half portions or lobes 2a 2?) thereof extending symmetrically to opposite sides of the shank I as shown in Fig. I, and pitched at aslight angle to the vertical as shown in Figs. II

45 and III, so that an upwardly-tapering pinch interval 3 results between it and said shank. The portion 21) of the head 2, it will be noted, is in part formed by a curved retroversion 4 of the wire in the plane of said head, which extends downwardly within said portion and upwardly within the portion 2, with the terminal end 5 of the wire snugly rested in the bight 6 at the juncture between the head and the shank I. As a consequence of the described construction, the end 5 5 of the wire is effectively protected so that it cannot interfere with insertion or withdrawal of the shank into or from the material which is to be secured, or catch into the material or into other objects to tear or mutilate them. Preferably, the retroversionl is curved as shown to correspond with the first turn I of the wire forming the outer edge of the head 2 and contacts 5 with the latter throughout the greater part of its length.

In Fig. V, I have illustrated how the fastener is used to secure together two layers L, L of sheet material of paper or fabric. Asshown', the pin shank l is thrust so as to penetrate the layers L, L, first downwardly and then upwardly, until arrested by the curved upper portion of the shank, the head 2 cooperating with said shank to clamp the material'in the pinch interval 3 thereby to hold the fastener against accidental displacement. It will be apparent that since the retroversion 4 lies wholly within the plane of the head 2 with the end 5 of the wire guarded as hereinbefore explained, that said end cannot possibly catch in the material either during application or removal of the fastener. In this connection it is to be further observed that the smooth rounding of the lower portion of the head greatly facilitates entry of the material into the pinch interval 3 during application of the fastener.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A fastener of the character described fashioned from a single length of wire with a pointed pin shank, and with a fiat down-turned open head at the top formed by two opposingly-arranged convolutions one within the other, said head overlapping the shank and which has por- I tions disposed at opposite sides of said shank, the wire constituting one such portion connecting with the pin shank through a relatively sharp bend and the wire constituting the other portion being retroverted downward in the latter portion within the plane of the head and continued upwardly in the first mentioned portion to a terminal end which is snugly nested within the bight of the bend at the juncture of the pin shank with said first mentioned portion of the head.

2. A fastener according to claim 1 in which the retroversion of the wire contacts substantially throughout its length with the segment of the wire forming the outer edge of the head.

3. A fastener according to claim 1, in which the head is of substantially circular configuration.

4. A fastener according to claim 1, in which the head is of substantially circular configuration, and in which the retroversion of the wire contacts substantially throughout its length with the segment of the wire forming the outer edge u of the head.

FRANK E. DE LONG. 

